Je dirai malgré tout que cette vie fut belle

Synopsis of Je dirai malgré tout que cette vie fut belle

«Je dirai malgré tout que cette vie fut belle» is the memoir by Jean d'Ormesson, published in 2016 in paperback (496 pages, in French).

Jean d'Ormesson faces a trial he has brought against himself and reviews his past and that of France, from European classicism to the collapse of Stefan Zweig's «world of yesterday». Colbert, Racine, Aragon and François Mitterrand pass by. The text drifts into a serious reflection on time and eternity.

The title comes from a verse by Louis Aragon, from the poem «Les yeux et la mémoire», and the work won the Prix des députés in 2016. Jean d'Ormesson was a member of the Académie française.

Work aimed at readers of memoirs and French cultural history; the 20th century and reflection on time are the axes of the narrative.